Chapter 25
The beautifully ornate double doors took both of us to push open. The heavy doors gave a reverberating groan as they swung into place, the sound echoing through the silence of the chamber behind us. Felix and I exchanged a wary glance before stepping forward. My heart hammered in my chest as we crossed the threshold into the vault, anticipation and caution warring in my mind.
The room beyond was breathtaking.
Soft, ambient light emanated from crystal chandeliers on the ceiling and decorative crystal formations embedded in the walls, casting a gentle glow that illuminated the space. The air was clear and crisp, carrying a faint metallic tang that hinted at the power humming beneath the surface of this place. The walls themselves shimmered with faint runes, and intricate designs spiraled upward, converging at the apex of a domed ceiling far above us. It felt more like stepping into an ancient cathedral than a dungeon chamber.
In the center of the room stood a massive chest, easily as tall as my waist, crafted from a dark, polished mahogany that seemed to absorb the light around it. Its surface was inlaid with gold and silver filigree, depicting scenes of battles, heroes, and the rise and fall of empires. The chest was bound with heavy metal bands, their surfaces etched with glowing runes that thrummed softly with latent energy.
But it wasn’t just the chest that drew our attention. Arranged around it in a perfect circle were five distinct tables, each one meticulously crafted and exuding an aura of authority over its apparent domain. I stepped closer, my eyes darting from one to the next.
The first table was carved from smooth, dark stone, its surface covered in indentations and grooves perfectly sized for the beakers and vials it held. Strange symbols glowed faintly along its edges, and a mortar and pestle sat at the center, waiting to crush herbs and other components.
Alchemy Table:
This table has the power to grant the profession of alchemist to any who bind to it. This table has a limit of one concurrent user, however many users may bind to it.
Next to it was a slender, elegant table made of polished wood, its surface shimmering with runes that seemed to dance just beneath the surface. A quill, suspended in midair, moved slightly as I approached, as if sensing my presence. Scrolls and blank parchments lined the edges, waiting for someone to inscribe them with magic.
Inscription Table:
This table grants the profession of Inscriptionist to any who bind to it. This table has a limit of 1 concurrent user.
The third station was a robust, iron-bound table that looked like it had been plucked from the heart of a dwarven forge. Tools hung from the edges, and a small, inactive anvil glowed faintly at its center. I could almost feel the heat emanating from it, even though the forge itself was cold and dormant.
Blacksmithing Forge
This forge grants the profession of Blacksmith. This forge is limited to one concurrent user and an apprentice.
The fourth table was a circular stone dais etched with a complex network of runes and lines, all converging in a brilliant gemstone embedded in its center. The stone pulsed softly, the light shifting through the spectrum as if waiting to alter the very fabric of reality around it.
Transmutation Circle:
This circle grants the profession of Transmuter. This circle is limited to one concurrent user and an apprentice.
The final table was surprisingly homey, with a well-worn wooden surface, a set of gleaming knives, and a perfectly balanced skillet hanging from a hook above. Recipe books, their pages fluttering slightly, lined the edges of the station. The scent of freshly baked bread seemed to linger around it, incongruous in this strange, otherworldly chamber.
Cook’s Station:
This station grants the profession of chef. This station can be used by up to five people at once if they work in sync. Must refer to each other as ‘chef’ while using.
“Holy shit, Maura,” Felix breathed, his eyes wide as he took in the sight. “This place is like a… a crafter’s paradise. Imagine what we could make with this stuff.”
“I know,” I whispered, almost afraid to touch anything. Each of these stations held possibilities I could barely fathom. “I don’t even know what half of this means. Which one do you want to bind to? I assume we can only be bound to one profession at a time.”
My gaze shifted to a small, unobtrusive stand at the edge of the vault. A piece of parchment, curled at the edges and slightly yellowed with age, lay there. I walked over, my curiosity piqued, and carefully picked it up.
The handwriting was neat, precise, and reminded me of blueprints. It was obviously handwritten but each letter was almost perfect.
“Maura,
Congratulations on making it this far. These tools will be incredibly important when you rebuild your settlement. Use them wisely. And Maura… for you, something special.
Below this note, you’ll find a small vial containing nanobots. If you so choose these nanobots will unlock the profession of: Bio-Augmentation. With it, you’ll be able to blend the boundaries between flesh and machine, to enhance yourself or others in ways that were previously unimaginable. But remember, power comes at a cost.
—Abzx”
I swallowed hard, my fingers trembling slightly as I set the note down. The moment I set it down it blinked out of existence. I rubbed at my eyes and then looked at Felix. He was engrossed in the alchemy table.
Bio-Augmentation? The implications of such a technology were staggering. If I could master it, I might be able to integrate Byte’s systems even further—or give myself the kind of power I’d only dreamed of. But Abzx’s warning flashed through my mind. I sighed disappointedly.
“They really missed a great power great responsibility line.”
“What?" Felix turned and saw my expression. He moved closer and I explained what had been in the note and held up the vial. “Bio-augmentation? Like… turning people into cyborgs or something?”
“Something like that,” I murmured, staring at the small vial nestled in my hand. The liquid inside shimmered with an iridescent light, swirling as if alive. “It’s… a way to fix Corwin. And quite possibly many others.”
Felix raised an eyebrow. “Sounds… intense. But hey, I was only kidding about becoming a spider okay? I mean, I’d have to really think about it… I never even could decide on a tattoo.”
I nodded absently, still trying to process the scope of what I held in my hands. Then, reluctantly, I set the vial inside of my spacial storage and turned my attention back to the massive chest at the center of the room.
It was a masterpiece of craftsmanship, the kind of thing you’d expect to see in a king’s treasury. I traced my fingers lightly over the filigree, feeling the smooth, cool metal under my touch. Each panel of the chest depicted scenes of battle and triumph, and the lock at its center seemed to pulse faintly, as if it was alive.
“Ready to see what’s inside?” Felix asked, a grin tugging at his lips.
“Let’s do it,” I said, unable to hide the excitement thrumming through me. I reached for the lock, twisting it slowly. The chest emitted a low, resonant hum, and the lid began to creak open—
Only to slam shut violently a second later.
“What the f—” Felix yelped, stumbling back.
The chest shuddered, and then… it moved.
With a deep, guttural growl, the chest’s surface split apart, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth set into a gaping maw. The runes on its surface twisted and flared to life, and two glowing eyes appeared above the lid, glaring down at us with malevolent intelligence.
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“It’s a mimic!” I shouted, stumbling back. The chest—no, the creature—rose up on thick, sinewy legs that seemed to sprout from nowhere. A long, sinuous tongue lolled out of its mouth, dripping with a viscous black liquid.
The mimic let out a deafening roar, shaking the vault’s very foundations. It lunged at us, the massive maw snapping shut just inches from Felix’s face.
Mimic
Level 15
Description: Holy shit did that chest just come alive?
“Fuck! It’s level 15. Maura, watch out!” Felix shouted, his voice rising above the mimic’s guttural snarls as it about-faced, its massive body twisting impossibly fast. The mimic’s oozing, squelching tongue lashed out, a thick, muscular appendage that slapped the stone floor with a heavy wet thud, sending a spray of black saliva in all directions.
I leapt to the side, feeling the rush of air as the tongue whipped past me, slamming into the wall behind us with enough force to crack the stone. My heart pounded in my chest, the adrenaline surging as I scrambled to regain my footing.
“Felix, get back!” I shouted, raising my hand and calling forth a surge of energy. I activated Arc Weld, a searing beam of light erupting from my fingertips. The energy crackled and sparked, scorching a deep groove into the mimic’s side. It shrieked, its maw splitting open to reveal rows of jagged teeth that glistened in the dim light.
The mimic recoiled, its form shuddering as the heat seared into its outer shell. Black ichor spilled from the wound, hissing and bubbling where it touched the ground. But the creature didn’t retreat—it surged forward, its tongue darting out again, this time wrapping around Felix’s staff and yanking it out of his hands.
“Shit!” Felix stumbled back, his hands going wide as the mimic flung the staff to the far corner of the room. “It’s strong as hell!”
“No kidding!” I gritted my teeth, pushing more energy into Arc Weld. The beam intensified, the light so bright it hurt to look at, but the mimic kept coming. Its bulk crashed forward, its green eyes blazing with malevolent glee.
The mimic’s massive body blocked out the rest of the room as it reared up on its oozing back legs, casting a dark shadow over us. It towered above, its maw opening wide, the stench of rotting wood and decay filling the air.
“Move!” I screamed, grabbing Felix by the arm and pulling him to the side just as the mimic slammed down, its jaws snapping shut where we’d been standing but a second earlier.
We hit the ground hard, rolling to the side as the mimic twisted around, its movements unnaturally fast for something so large. I pushed myself up, my hand throbbing from the force of the Arc Weld. The mimic lunged again, its tongue shooting out, aiming straight for my chest.
I ducked, feeling the rush of air as the tongue whipped past, and then I saw my chance. With a quick flick of my wrist, I had my energy sword out and activated it with a whommm, slicing clean through the base of the tongue. The mimic let out an ear-piercing scream, its body convulsing violently as the severed tongue fell to the ground, twitching and writhing like a decapitated snake. Black ichor sprayed out of the mimic and sizzled as it connected with the energy sword.
“Yes! Got it!” I shouted, a fierce grin spreading across my face.
But the mimic didn’t slow down. If anything, it seemed enraged by the loss of its tongue. It barreled forward, its gaping maw snapping open and shut as it charged straight at me. I barely had time to react, throwing myself backward and firing off a burst of electric bolts, the energy crackling and sparking as it struck the mimic’s thick hide.
“Felix, I need you!” I shouted, my voice strained as I tried to keep my distance. “Distract it!”
Felix nodded, his face pale but determined. He raised his hands, summoning a pulse of arcane energy that formed into a shield of shimmering light. “Hey, ugly! Over here!” He threw the shield forward, the glowing barrier slamming into the mimic’s side with enough force to knock it off-balance.
The mimic roared, turning its attention to Felix. It leapt at him teeth barred and chomping. Felix dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow, but the mimic kept coming, its bulk crashing through the room with reckless abandon.
“Maura, hit it now!” Felix shouted, struggling to his feet.
I didn’t hesitate. Channeling every ounce of power I had left, I activated Arc Weld once more, the beam of energy flaring to life in my hands. I aimed for the mimic’s metal bands. I super heated the metal with arc weld and they glowed bright orangey-red.
The bands began to smoke and sizzle the wood beneath them as the mimic caught fire. It let out a strangled, gurgling scream, its body convulsing smoke billowed from it’s mouth. The bands snapped at the edges as it tried to dislodge itself from the searing pain.
“Come on, come on,” I muttered, my voice a desperate whisper as I pushed more and more power into the beam. The mimic’s movements grew slower, its body twitching erratically, and then—with one final, echoing shriek—it collapsed.
The massive creature hit the ground with a resounding thud, its body crumbling into a pile of dark wood and shattered stone. The room fell silent, the only sound the heavy breathing of both of us as we stared at the remains of what had once been a fearsome, living chest.
I stumbled back, my legs trembling with exhaustion. “Shit,” I gasped, staring at the smoking heap in front of us. “Is it… is it really dead?”
Level Up!
Technomancer Level 12!
Felix limped over, wincing with every step. He nudged the smoking remains with his foot, his face twisted in a mix of disbelief and relief. “Yeah… yeah, I think so.”
I let out a long breath, feeling the tension drain from my body. We’d done it. We’d actually done it.
“Nice work, Maura,” Felix said softly, offering me a tired smile. “I’d say that deserves a serious loot drop.”
I nodded slowly, still catching my breath. “Yeah… let’s see what this thing was guarding.”
With a deep breath, we turned our gaze to the shattered remains of the mimic, the vault’s eerie silence weighing heavily on our shoulders. Whatever was inside, it better be worth the fight.
“Let’s see what you were so protective of,” I murmured, stepping over the charred remains of the mimic. I nudged a splintered piece of its outer shell with my boot, half-expecting it to twitch back to life. When it didn’t, I released a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
Felix leaned over the shattered remnants of the mimic’s core. He reached inside the gaping wound in its chest and pulled out a small, black box. The surface shimmered faintly, the light reflecting off its intricate carvings. As he held it up, the box expanded, glowing softly before settling into a cube about the size of a basketball.
“That… does not look like ordinary loot,” Felix said, his voice tinged with awe.
I activated Identify and studied the faint runes that danced across its surface.
Spatial Relocation Cube
Rarity: Legendary
Description: A portable, self-contained dimensional space. This artifact can store large objects and release them on command. Capable of transporting entire structures. The cube’s capacity is only limited by the user’s mana.
Warning: Do not store a dimensional space inside of a dimensional space.
“Oh cool”, I breathed turning the cube over in my hands. It’s a much larger storage. I don’t think my spacial storage could have stored much more than what’s in there now.
Felix’s eyes widened as he leaned in closer. “You’re telling me we can stuff all of these crafting tables in here and take them with us back to Galene? That’s… that’s huge, Maura. I mean, we could let people back there take their professions and then be able to really defend ourselves.”
“Exactly,” I said with a grin. “That way we won’t have to keep coming back here. We can take everything we need with us.”
Felix shook his head slowly, a look of sheer disbelief on his face. “Could you imagine if you had one one these when you had to move.” He glanced back at the remains of the mimic narrowing his eyes. “It feels like there should be more though, right?”
I turned back to the debris, my heart still pounding with the aftermath of our fight. The mimic’s body had crumbled, but something beneath it caught the light—a faint, glow emanating from within a hollow compartment in its remains.
“There’s definitely more,” I said, pointing to the glow. Together, we pushed aside the last of the mimic’s shell, revealing a small chest nestled within the cavity.
Felix reached down, lifting the chest gently.
“Oh, please don’t tell me it was pregnant” I teased.
Felix laughed so hard he almost dropped the chest. Once he caught his breath he cautiously opened the lid. It lifted easily, revealing a few items.
The first was a staff. It was longer than Felix’s old one, crafted from a silvery-blue wood that seemed to pulse with mana. Veins of crystal wound around its length, converging at the top where a large, multifaceted gem sat nestled in a cage of metal.
Staff of Resonance
Rarity: Epic
Description: A mage’s staff that amplifies the user’s spells and mana reserves. Provides a 10% boost to intelligence.
Felix’s eyes widened, and he reached out with trembling hands. “This is… amazing.” He ran his fingers along the length of the staff, and the gem at the top flared with a gentle, soothing light.
“Take it,” I said softly. “You deserve it.”
He nodded slowly, a smile breaking across his face as he lifted the staff. “I can feel the power in it. This is going to help so much, Maura. Thank you.”
The next item was a robe, folded neatly beneath the staff. It shimmered with a deep, iridescent blue, the fabric looking almost liquid as it caught the light. Intricate runes were stitched along the hem and sleeves, and the material seemed to hum with latent magic.
Robe of Rejuvenation
Rarity: Epic
Description: Increases mana regeneration and reduces mana cost of all spells by 15%. The robe also provides minor physical resistance, making it ideal for mages who find themselves in the thick of battle. +1 Con
Felix carefully draped the robe over his arm, his gaze still lingering on the staff. “This is perfect,” he murmured, almost reverently. “I mean I’m not a mage but this is really cool. ”
“All yours” I said, shrugging as I eyed the remaining items in the chest.
Underneath the robe were 5 mana vials, 5 healing vials, and a necklace. I held the necklace up, the crystal pendant catching the light and refracting it into a dazzling array of colors. It felt warm in my palm.
Harmonic Nexus
Rarity: Legendary
Description: A powerful artifact designed to enhance the wearer’s overall attributes. When worn, it grants the wearer +2 to all base stats and subtly harmonizes mana flow, improving mana regeneration by 10%.
The pendant was lightweight and surprisingly comfortable as I slipped it around my neck, the soft hum of its power syncing with my own energy. Immediately, I felt a noticeable shift in my body—a newfound strength in my limbs, a clearer focus in my mind, and a steadier, more controlled flow of mana through my core.
Felix, who had been watching silently, let out a low whistle. “This equipment is amazing.”
I nodded, slipping the pendant under my armor. We packed the tables into the storage cube and Felix tucked it into a pocket on his new robe.
I cast one last look around the vault before we left, feeling the weight of everything we’d gained settle over me like a tangible presence. With each new piece of gear, every hard-fought victory, and every shard of the key that had brought us here, we were rewriting our story.
This place, with its dangers and secrets, had tested us—and in its own way, it had rewarded us too. We weren’t the same people who had stumbled into this dungeon, unprepared and unsure. We had faced down monsters, outwitted traps, and even survived a mimic guarding its hoard. But more than that, we’d come out on the other side with something far more valuable than loot: confidence.
I clenched my fist, the faint hum of the Harmonic Nexus around my neck resonating with my pulse. We were ready. The vault’s treasures weren’t just for us—they were for the people waiting back at Galene, the ones who had suffered under Matt’s rule.
Felix and I exchanged a glance, unspoken determination passing between us. We had the tools. We had the strength. Now it was time to take back what was ours.